1. That circuit of ground committed to the charge of one parson or vicar, or other minister having cure of souls therein. The same district, constituting a civil jurisdiction, with its own officers and regulations, as respects the poor, taxes, etc.
2. An ecclesiastical society, usually not bounded by territorial limits, but composed of those persons who choose to unite under the charge of a particular priest, clergyman, or minister; also, loosely, the territory in which the members of a congregation live.
Origin: OE. Parishe, paresche, parosche, OF. Paroisse, parosse, paroiche, F. Paroisse, L. Parochia, corrupted fr. Paroecia, Gr, fr. Dwelling beside or near; beside _ a house, dwelling; akin to L. Vicus village. See Vicinity, and cf. Parochial.